EQUINE ASSISTED LEARNING (EAL)

Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is a unique approach to learning that involves interactive, goal-oriented activities with horses. Why don't our clients ride the horses? There are many reasons why and we will list a few for you:

Ground-based work is safer than riding

Activities with horses on the ground are richer therapeutically

Less instruction is involved in ground work and thus clients are more able to guide their own experiences.

We are serious about our work with horses.

IT IS NOT SIMPLY FOR RECREATION. EAL allows clients to learn through their experience. This occurs when they are interacting with their environment, including the people, animals and situations involved, for an educational purpose. By taking part in structured activities, participants are better able to reflect on what takes place and apply it to other areas of their lives. The horses are utilized as metaphors in these activities to build life skills and to promote the exploration of behaviors. The fact that horses exhibit personalities, attitudes, and moods as unique as any teenager's provides endless experiences and situations for discussion, analysis and learning. EAL is particularly effective with exceptional students, those with learning disabilities, and those at risk of dropping out of school. EAL presents participants of all ages with interactive challenges designed to:

Improve communication skills

Recognize and build on strengths

Comprehend respect, trust and honesty

Understand natural consequences and focus on accountability

Enrich relationships and teamwork

Utilize critical thinking, planning, and problem-solving skills

Boundaries

Responsibility

Because of this, Equine Assisted Learning produces endless experiences, situations, and opportunities for discussion, analysis, and learning. One important point to make is that EAL does not focus on riding. No horse experience is required. Instead, participants are led through a series of interactions with the horse on the ground that serves to focus on the issues that they are there to address. The facilitator will interpret the actions of the horse as indicators to the participants that they are not in control of the situation and are not working together as a team-with the horse being the integral team member.

​Another important adaptive aspect of the horse that comes to play in EAL: The HERD mentality. As a prey animal, the herd serves a protective function to the horse, providing comfort and safety. Through domestication, the horse has been acclimated to people as members of its "herd" and as such, it has a tendency to respond to people in ways that are reflective of how it would respond to other equine members of the herd. This leads us to the final medium of relationship change that the horse embodies. For UNBRIDLED HOPE participants, the lesson is about understanding why the horse behaves as it does in response to what they bring to the interaction. The behavior of the participant brings positive changes in equine behavior.